Apparatus for treating tobacco.



Patented July 4, i899.

C. E. COUTY.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TOBACCO.

(Application filed Oct. 31, 189B.)

'IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIL IIIIIIIIIIIIII (No Model.)

ATTORNEYS.

m: NoRms PETERS on, mqo'rquma, WASHINGTON n, c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CIIARLES E. COUT'Y, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

APPARATUS FOR TREATING TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming-part of Letters Patent No. 628,394, dated July 4,1899.

Application filed October 31,1898. Serial No. 695,091. (ITO model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs E. Count, of Louisville, in the county ofJefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and ImprovedApparatus for the Treatment of Tobacco, of which the following is afull,clear, and exact description.

The object of my invention is to provide an improvement in that class ofapparatus which is adapted for reclaiming funked or moldy tobacco,whereby the injurious elfects and impaired appearance due to suchconditions may be removed and the strength of the leaf restored withoutinjury to it.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of theseveral parts, as will be hereinafter fully set forth, and pointed outin the claim.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings,forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a horizontal section taken substantially on the line 1 1 ofFig. 2. Fig. 2 isa vertical section taken practically on the line 2 2 ofFig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken substantially on the line3 3 of Fig. 1.

A represents a room, compartment,or building which is capable of beingmade air-tight and which is provided with windows, doors, or other formsof ventilators 10. Vertical racks 11 are located within the building,opposing racks being connected by rods 12, upon which racks the tobaccois tied in small hands, each hand preferably comprising eight'or tenleaves. Near the floor of the room, compartment, or building A a seriesof steam-pipes 13 is located, the pipes being usually parallel, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2. These steam-pipes 13 are provided with apertures 14:in their bottom portions, so that the steam escaping from these pipeswill first strike the floor of the building, room, or compartmeht andbecome cooled'before said steam will ascend, thus tending to moisten theleaves, but not to burn them, since it is disastrous to the tobacco tohave them submitted to moist heat of any intensity.

The various steam-pipes 13 are connected by a supply-pipe 15, and eachof the steam delivery or distributing pipes 13 is provided with a valve15 adjacent to the supply-pipe 15, in order that the amount of steamentering said delivery or distributing pipes 13 may be under completecontrol.

A steam-boiler or steam-generator 16 of any desired character isemployed, and the pipe 15 is connected with the steam-chamber of saidboiler or generator. Outside of the room, building, or compartment A twovalves 17 and 18 are located in the steam-supply pipe 15, one beingquite close to the steam-generator and the other usually quite near theouter wall of the building, as shown in Fig. 1.

j In connection with the delivery or distributing pipes 13 andalternating with them a lower series of delivery or distributing pipes19 is provided. These distributing or delivery pipes 19 are preferablyprovided with apertures 20 in their upper surfaces and are locatedwithin casings 21, said casings forming a portion of the bottom of pausor trays 22, the pans or trays, together with the upper row of steamdistributing or delivery pipes 13, being made to rest upon suitablesupports 26. The lower layer or series 19 of distributing or deliverypipes is supplied by a pipe 23, connecting with one of their ends, andthe amount of steam from the supply-pipe 23 to the lowerdistributing-pipes 19 is controlled by valves 24, and the supply-pipe 23is made to connect with the supply-pipe 15 of the upper series'ofdistributing or delivery pipes at a point between the two .valves 17 and18, as is best shown in Fig. 1.

The casings 21, connected with the trays 22, are closed at each end butthe pipes 19 pass through one end of said casings, while at the oppositeend of the casings a stop-cock 25 is located, whereby any desired amountof steam may be permittedto escape from the casings, as shown at theright-hand side in Fig. 1.

The pans or trays 22. are adapted to contain a fluid, usually water, andthe vapor consequent upon the escape of the steam and the heat of thefluid in the pans or trays 22 will effectually remove all funk and moldfrom the leaves upon engaging with the damaged tobacco. At the same timea certain amount of nicotine and other chemicals natural to the leafwill be removed; but the leaf willbe brightened and given a propercolor. After the hands of tobacco have been subjected to the action ofthe vapor for a desired length of time the ventilators in the room,compartment, or building are opened and the vapor, together with anyobnoxious gases that may have been generated, is permitted to escape.The tobacco is left in the vapor room or compartment A until it becomesquite cool and more or less stiff or hard.

After the tobacco has been treated in the vap oriZing-room it isnecessary that the strength extracted from thetobacco when subjected tothe vapor should be replaced. To that end I employ a bath 27, as shownparticularly in Fig. 3, in which avessel 28 is supported, provided atits upper end and above the bath with a stop-cock 29. The bath 27 isfilled with Water, and the vessel 28 is partially filled with water, andin this water more or less tobacco of a high grade is placed in orderthat a stronginfusion or tea may be produced when the water boils.

In order to determine the pressure in the vessel 28, a smaller vessel 30is fitted in the upper portion of the larger vessel 28, the bottom ofthe upper and smaller vessel 30 being made quite thin. The upper vessel30 is filled with a predetermined quantity of water, and when the steamin the inner vessel 28, in which the infusion is to be made, has gainedsufficient pressure to force the bottom of the upper vessel 30 outwardthe fluid in the upper vessel will be spilled, and thus notify theattendant that it is necessary to open the stop-cock 29 and relieve theextracting vessel 28 from surplus pressure. The upper vessel 30 may betermed an indicating vessel, since it indicates a surplus of pressure inthe vessel in which it is fitted.

' In connection with the apparatus just described I employ a still,which consists of a receptacle 31, adapted to contain water, and anadjacent receptacle 32. A steam-pipe 33, provided with suitable valves,is connected with the steam-generator 16, and this steampipe 33 isprovided with branches 34 and 35, that extend downward into the watercontained in the bath-receptacle 27 and tank or receptacle 31 for thepurpose of heating such water. A retort 36 is located in the receptacle31 of the still, and the said retort is adapted to contain the infusionor extract of tobacco obtained through the medium of the receptacle 28,and the said retort 36 is connected with a worm 37, said worm beinglocated in the receptacle 32, forming a portion of the still, and thelower end of the worm is carried to a tank 38, into which the extract ordecoction is received. The hands of tobacco that have been treated inthe vaporizing chamber or house A are treated with the tobacco essencethat has passed through the still, the treatment being made inanydesired manner. Thus it will be observed that any nicotine or othernatural qualities that may have been removed from the leaf when exposedto the vapor will be restored to the tobacco by the second treatment ofthe leaf.

It is evident that when tobacco has been treated as above set forthtobacco of a high grade that is usually sold as a low-grade tobaccobecause of blemish may be restored to its original condition, and therestoration may be made without injury to the leaf and without injury tothe consumer of the leaf.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-- In an apparatus for the treatment of tobacco, asealed compartment capable of ventilation, a generator of steam, seriesof steampipes, one located below the other, the pipes of the two seriesbeing alternately arranged, the pipes of one series being provided withapertures facing downward and the pipes of the other series beingprovided with apertures facing upward, trays located between the seriesof pipes having their apertures facing downward, jackets attached to thetrays and inclosing the other series of pipes, and inlet and outletvalves for the incased steampipes, as described.

CHARLES E. COUTY.

WVitnesses:

J AMES J. MORRIS, W. T. HALE.

